The Future
by Top 1 of the Top Dank Percent
Summary: A vision of the future the children came from. Dark, Major Character Deaths, and Violence. This is by no means anywhere close to done, except for the uploaded chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note - So, you know how in Owain's paralouge Lucina mentions that Lissa was still alive in her future? Well, it was a bit unsatisfying to me that nothing of that sort was ever mentioned again, and I've yet to see a fanfic that depicts this... So here you are! My version of Lucina's alternate future up to the point of traveling back in time. Needless to say, many, many characters will be killed off in this fanfiction. All children are presumed born before the start of the story. As always, I will write each chapter in a single, unrevised sitting, so please forgive me for the inevitable mistakes that will be made. All that being said, enjoy! - End of Author's Note

"Hey!" Chrom pleaded, trying to break the trance Robin seemed to be in "Hey, look-". He was interrupted. Robin had stabbed him in the chest with a bolt of lightning magic. Gasping, Chrom looked up at his friend. "Th-this is not your fault. Promise me you'll escape from this place... Go..." Chrom fell to the ground, dead. The magic wall separating the rest of the party from the two of them, and Validar dropped, allowing the rest of the party to rush to the fallen hero and the corrupted hero alike.

Robin looked at his hands, confused. Had he really killed his best friend? 'No, no this has to be a mistake!' He thought, desperately 'A dream, or something of the like!'

'But you know better' A dark thought seemed to speak from the back of his consciousness, or at least as close as thoughts can come to speaking. 'You killed him in cold blood... You, nay, we are a monster. No better than the rest of the monstrosities your so called friends have been fighting this entire time. They watched you kill your best friend. And did nothing'

'NO!' Robin thought 'We're saving the world! We're fighting for good! R-right?'

'Hm. Let me see. Patricide... Patricide... Huh! That doesn't seem to fall under that category of "good", now does it?'

While Robin was doubled over on the ground having his internal crisis (which he was), some of the Shepherds had rushed to Chrom's corpse. Lissa sobbed, trying to heal him with her staff.

"Why isn't this working?! Chrom, you can't die! First Emm... Now... Y-you can't leave me alone! You just can't." Chrom was unresponsive, and lay on the ground, unchanged by Lissa's efforts to heal him. Frederick grabbed Lissa, tears flowing down his face, and held her close to him. He had failed two royals. He was not about to let the third, and the most precious to him, be harmed in anyway possible.

As Frederick dragged a sobbing Lissa away from Chrom's body, Olivia slowly, and silently walked up to the corpse of her husband. Without saying a word, she lay down next to him, lay her head on his back, and started sobbing.

"Chrom..." She whispered, almost inaudibly "You swore... We would be together forever... And maybe will still can be. You can't be dead Chrom, I know that you aren't. Please, get up! Show me a sign that you can still be brought back!" She caught herself. "I-I-I mean..." The realization hit her, and she sobbed harder. "Oh, Chrom..."

Vaike had been standing above the body. But he refused to look. The Chrom he knew, the Chrom he loved, he wasn't dead. He never would be, at least not as long as Vaike lived. But someone had cut his rival's life short. 'No.' Vaike thought. 'Not someone. Robin. Who we all trusted with our lives on a daily basis...' Hearing Olivia's whispers to his dead friend was the final straw. Vaike found, and readied his axe, preparing for vengeance.

Frederick had seen him do this, and, for the moment, he had only one thought.

'The fool will get us all killed!'

Still holding his wife in his arms, he swept her up like she weighed nothing, and called out.

"Shepherds! To me! Come, we must flee, and we must make haste! We have... Failed."

They came willingly enough. Most were still in shock at seeing Chrom killed in front of their eyes, as they were helpless to do anything about it. Others came with a rather large hustle. Frederick had no time for this. He had his wife to think of, and his son, back in... Ylisstol. Fear washed over him. If Grima were awakened, what would be his first target?

"I have no time for your shit!" He shouted, directed at the Shepherds who were, at the very least, reluctant to leave, Vaike and Olivia prime amount them. "I will lead those who wish to live back to Ylisstol. We can still make a difference there. If there are any among you who wish to throw away their lives here and now, so be it. You were a waste of a Shepard." Frederick walked out of the hall, carrying with him a now shocked Lissa. The Shepherds followed. With the exception of two.

"Hey, you murderous piece of shit!" Vaike shouted at Robin. "He trusted you. We all did! With our lives. And this is how you repay that trust? How could you do such a thing?!"

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to, my father, I mean, Validar, he took control, and I-"

"I've heard enough." Vaike seethed with rage "The dead guy. After you killed him. Sure. I hope you rot in Hell for this." Vaike took his axe in both hands, and charged Robin.

'Kill him.' The dark thought spoke to Robin. 'Before he kills us. Do it. Now.'

"Vaike, please... I-I don't wish to hurt you! But... I... I can't..." Robin's vision turned completely red as he lost all control of every part of his body.

Vaike came the closest any would come for a long time. But he was still 20 feet too far. When his chest was disintegrated by Robin's thoron, he realized what a fool he had been, and how big of a mistake he had made. His final thoughts were of Cordelia, and their newly born daughter. He hoped that they would find a way to survive. And then he hoped no more.

Olivia hadn't moved, and was blind and deaf to the world around her. Her only thoughts were of Chrom. He had been her life, if only for a short amount of time. It was unfair that she had to live without him. But... Maybe she wouldn't. She came back into reality just in time to see Vaike fall to the ground. She knew what she had to do. 'Lucina, Inigo... Forgive me.' She thought, standing to face her inevitable doom.

Robin looked around the room, having regained control. Mostly. As soon as he saw Vaike, he knew that he had to die. Now, before it was too late. But, as he was controlled, he would never be able to take his own life. He needed someone to do it, and quickly, before he killed another. He saw Olivia stand up. 'How fitting.' He thought. Whether that was him or the dark thoughts that were consuming him, he wasn't sure.

"Olivia... Please. Kill me. Now. Before I kill another."

Olivia smiled weakly. "I'm sorry Robin. But I cannot... I was... I was hoping you would do the same... To me, of course."

Robin walked towards hero "But... Why would you want to- Oh." He remembered Chrom

"Please, Robin."

"I cannot. However... What if... We killed each other? Together? I would feel more comforted that way, I know."

"So be it." Olivia brandished her sword, as Robin did the same.

However, Robin suddenly lost control again. He took his sword, and sliced. And sliced. And sliced. There was no question about it. After muttering the words "Thank you", Olivia was dead, murdered by the same man that had killed her husband.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note - Well! I'll admit, It's pleasing just to know people are reading the first chapter! I'll try to keep them all about that length, as I can knock 'em out about once a day. However, this does limit my story telling, as there won't be ton all at once. At the same time, I write in one sitting, and most of the story is unplanned currently, so it is both a blessing and a curse. One thing I would like to mention. Emmeryn, Gangrel, Walhart, Aversa(?) and Yen'fay are all staying dead in this story. I feel it would take something away, almost from the story I want to tell. If there's any mistakes you notice, or anything you'd like to see, shoot me a review... And that's all, for now! Enjoy Chapter 2! - End of Author's Note

Frederick rode as fast and as far away from the Table as he could.

"Forgive me, my Lord..." He muttered under his breath, the pain of both failing Chrom and abandoning his dead body to the Grimleal written plain on his face. Lissa was riding behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around her husband's chest.

"He would have hated that." She piped up.

Frederick ignored her

"I know you can hear me Frederick. Don't be such an ass. You may have just lost a friend, but you aren't the only one! For Naga's sake I lost a brother! Now is not the time to grieve!"

Frederick halted his horse, baffled by Lissa's complete 180. The princess smiled at him.

"If we can be strong, we can make it through this! The war isn't over, not by a long shot! We need to regroup! We need to plan! We need to-"

"Lissa. You aren't thinking clearly. Falchion was left at Chrom's side. You are over passionate with grief. What we really need to do, is process what just happened. Now, I'll give you time, milady, but I am the leader of the Shepherds now, and-" Frederick was interrupted. The other Shepherds were beginning to catch up with them. "... We will continue this later."

Donnel ran up to Frederick, panting, his face red from sprinting a long ways. He was the first of the obscenely large group following Frederick, Stahl and Sully both close behind, and Cherche not far behind them.

"Well, I done reckon I just did run faster than a pig on its way to the feed! Mr. Frederick, Sir... What now?"

"Patience is a virtue, Donny." Frederick stated matter-of-factly "We should be far enough away to be safe from attacks from the Grimleal, and I can't imagine they're the most organized at the moment. Wait for the other Shepherds, and I will enlighten you all upon my plan of action."

"Why, of course, yessir, your... Frederickness."

Lissa groaned, earning her a healthy stare from her husband. The time for action was now! She was forced to stand by while her brother was murdered by his best friend, a man they all thought they could trust, and she was fed up with it. She wanted vengeance. And she wanted it now.

The group of Shepherds had grown, and when the late comers had arrived, Frederick told them their course of action.

"Ahem!" He began "As Lord Chrom's second in command, I will lead the Shepherds, at least temporarily. Please, save all questions or complaints until the end. This isn't the longest of plans, and it doesn't need to be made longer by unnecessary interruptions."

"Golly." Donnel said to Kellam, who may or may not have been standing right next to him. "That sure does put you in a right tight spot, don't it?" This earned him a hearty glare from Frederick, and he shut up without further comments.

"If Donnel is finished with his incredible, truly fascinating commentary to seemingly no one at all, I would like to begin by calling the role." Lissa groaned audibly, and Frederick ignored her.

"As time is of the essence, please, report to me immediately any Shepherds who currently appear to be absent from our ranks." Frederick looked around the crowd of Shepherds himself.

"Vaike is dead." Cordelia spoke, almost whispered. She was overcome with grief, and having dismounted her pegasus, she was relying almost entirely on Sumia to do something as simple as stand. "He isn't here. He threatened Robin. He's dead. I'm sure of it. C-cut down by Robin, I hope... At least that way, he could die like... Like..." Cordelia stopped, tears running down her cheeks. Sumia put her head against that of her lifelong friend, consoling her as best she knew how. She too looked saddened by Chrom's passing, and Frederick was sure that at one point, Sumia and Chrom had something that was more than that a captain would typically have with a soldier.

"That is truly heart wrenching." Frederick spoke, hoping his false sincerity was making his lack of caring at all. Vaike had been a sub-par soldier at best, and tended to damage morale more than build it. "My condolences go out to you and your daughter. What was her name... Selena?"

Cordelia tried to laugh. "Close, sir, but her name is Severa. She reminds me of, well, myself, but she has his...she has his hair. If there's anything left for me in this world, it'd be her."

"Good. I hope to see you on the fields of many battles to come, Cordelia. You are truly a model soldier, and to lose both you and your husband... I'm sure that your daughter would be crushed." Frederick quickly walked away from Cordelia. He had never known her not Vaike all that well, and though he was sorry that Vaike was dead, he found that on a larger scale he didn't care at all. He glanced around, and when no more Shepherds spoke up, he relaxed. Returning to his place at the front of the crowd, he looked around one last time before speaking again. After all, it was much better to be safe than sorry.

When Frederick saw that Donnel was fidgeting like he was prone to explode, he reluctantly said "Donnel, you can talk again", bracing himself for what would almost surely be bad news, worse than the loss of Vaike, at the very least.

"Well, your Frederickness... I hate to say it but I just ain't seeing her graciousnessly holy exuberance the Queen anywhere 'round here."

"Oh, Gods no..." Frederick broke from his stoic stance. "If you'll excuse me..." Stepping away from the Shepherds, he gasped for air. To lose his liege, and his liege's wife at the same time, that was inexcusable. Chrom was murdered in cold blood. He knew that as fact. Deep down, he knew that it was written, and nothing he'd have done could have changed a thing. But Olivia... that was a failure on his part. In his rush to save Lissa and himself, and to get home, he missed something. And that ended up costing someone their life, someone he was sworn to protect.

"I am no knight." He whispered to himself. Regaining composure, he rejoined his friends.

"I cannot accept that she is dead. I will not accept that she is dead." He announced loudly to the crowd, trying to convince himself as well as them. "In fact, I believe we should go back and retrieve her, immediately. All in fa-"

Lissa had started paying attention the moment Frederick stepped away from the others. She knew her husband. And she knew that he would obsess over Olivia until the issue of her disappearance was resolved, even at the cost of his own life. She wasn't prepared to lose him too.

"NO!" She interrupted "I will not let you go!"

"Lissa. Olivia, she needs us, she..."

"You're doing what I was doing a moment ago, Frederick. Don't let your emotions take control. I know, it sounds like I'm doing a complete 180, but this is purely suicidal. Olivia might need you. She might still be alive, and she might still need help. But do you know who does need you, Frederick? Look around. Look around, at how lucky you are to be alive right now. I need you. The Shepherds, they're all lost without you. They need you. The Ylissean people are about to face a terrible horror, the likes of which have never before been seen upon this Earth. They need you. Think of Lucina. Think of Inigo. We all may have failed their parents. But if we hurry, we can still help them. We need to leave. Robin... No, Grima must know where we are, and even if he doesn't, we are still way to close. I can see the Table over there." Lissa paused here, pointing for emphasis. "They wills doubtlessly attack Ylisstol, and that is where we need to be. That's where I am going to be, at least. With, or without, any of you. With my people."

As Lissa finished, she turned, and walked in the direction of Ylisse, towards Ylisstol.

Donnel looked at Frederick briefly, and when he appeared to not be moving, Donnel made a drastic decision. He went after Lissa. Holding his head up high, he ran to catch up with her, prepared to follow her to the ends of the Earth. He was not alone in this. Maribelle followed Lissa at nearly the same time, and most all of the Shepherds followed her.

Frederick knew that she would never make it. And he couldn't leave her to die. She was both too dear to him to lose, and her death would also mean another failure on his part. That, he would not allow. Wordlessly, he turned and followed her as well, joining the others who had all started after her already. Those who hadn't followed Lissa followed Frederick, their new commander. They had places to be now, and people to protect. After all, there were children at home.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note - Ah, the weekend. Such free time is available during it, is it not. I'm gonna be real here. I really enjoy the fact that people are reading this, and continuing to read it (although it may be too early to totally judge that yet). As a result, I'm going to try my hardest to update twice daily until Monday. Please, forgive any errors that slip by me as this story goes on. As always, please review if there's anything you'd like to mention or see, and I hope you enjoy the third chapter - Author's Note

Robin had not moved. He stood exactly where he had when he had killed Olivia. Simply trying to process it all, it was surreal. He had killed Chrom. He had killed Olivia. He had killed Vaike.

'So what?' The dark voice, which he knew was Grima, spoke inside of him.

"So what? So what?!" Robin spoke aloud, feeling weaker as time went on, and still he felt empowered with red hot rage. "They were my friends and I killed them. I deserve death, and worse!"

'I'll say it again, Robin. So. What?'

Robin said nothing, puzzled by Grima's response, as it didn't sound inherently evil.

'You fool of a mortal. Do you truly not realized what I mean when I try to destroy the world? Look at the state the world is in, Robin. The gap between the rich and the poor grows ever stronger. People live like animals.' Grima paused, in consideration 'Forget I said that. Animals live better. People treat each other like shit, and no one even stops to consider it. It is pathetic. Truly, pathetic. Which is why I need to take action. While everyone is separated from one another by almost every way possible, in death, all are equal. That, my dear host, is why I do what I do.'

Robin felt all emotion he felt over his previous actions drain from him. He knew that Grima must be gaining power. And he knew that had to hang on. For as long as possible, he had to fight!

"You, are one idiotic son of a bitch if you truly mean that. How can one be considered equal if they can't even be considered to exist? Answer me that, why don't you?"

'In an existence as pitiful as the lives many of these people live, why would they want to exist in the first place?'

'Because it's infinitely better than the alternative. Death is never the answer. Surely you must realize th-. Wait. This is stupid. Am I truly debating philosophy on death with a god of death? Who just forced me to kill my friends? I must be insane!'

"Of course you are." Grima spoke through Robin's mouth. "You fool of a human. So easily distracted. Why, I could have spouted infinitely more lies, and you would have been powerless to stop listening. In fact, you were. Did you truly believe I killed people for their own benefit? Idiot. And now, I believe you will find yourself quite helpless to do well, anything. Goodbye Robin. I do so enjoy our little chats."

Grima heard a scream inside of his head, as Robin was banished to the furthest corner of what was once his mind. He smiled as the sound, could he call it a sound if it existed only in his head? He pondered this for a moment, and decided that he could, but only to himself, and not others (obviously). Anyways, he smiled as he felt Robin's essence drain to almost nothing.

"And now..." He spoke to himself "To retrieve the power. The fool put up a stronger fight than expected, and Validar was unable to transfer my entire conscience to him while he was under his control. No matter. It shall be done... Now."

Grima lifted his arms, it a cross-like position, as the rest of his concienceness and power flowed into his body.

"Better." He spoke"Those fools will be expecting an attack on Ylisse, almost certainly." Grima chuckled to himself at this. "And even if they don't, I can't imagine any of them have the gall to try and defend my true target. Not that they can do anything about it now."

With only a few words, a seemingly endless army of Risen appeared out of no where, and Grima led them from the Table. He may be a dragon of death, but he still had a long way to travel. Besides, no one can do anything alone, truly. He would need help in the battles to come.

Tiki woke up from her slumber at the Great Mila Tree. Due mainly to Lucina's lack of prescience in this world, she had not joined the party, and remained at the tree to defend it if the time came, or if the group failed in putting Grima back to sleep. She know knew that both of those had occurred, and an event she had been dreading for all of her thousands of years was fast approaching. She had to act fast, she had to prepare. Calling all of her messengers to her as fast as she could, she instructed each of them to go to a different sovereign and beg for help. She knew it was risky sending only one in a group, especially in these perilous times, but she had no choice. She needed troops, and friends. And she needed them now.

The Shepherds arrived in Ylisstol in record time, but it was nothing compared to how fast the word of their failure had spread. Somehow, rumors had spread while they were still gone, and as soon as they returned, with their low morale, the rumors were instantly confirmed. Unrest spread like wildfire, and convinced Grima would be attacking at any time, people fled the city. Those who didn't leave, caused such unkempt, that it was unsafe to even step outside. They generally stopped when the Shepherds were around, but there were exceptions to the rule, and many a Shepard was wounded in an encounter with a citizen whom they were sworn to protect. It had to stop, the sooner, the better. But with Chrom and Olivia both dead (which the people didn't even know of yet. Frederick had convinced Lissa to keep that information withheld until the appropriate moment), who could serve as Lucina's regent until she came of age? The answer was simple. The one remaining adult royal, of course. Lissa steeled herself to take the job she had hoped to never have to take.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note - Spelling and grammar are both fixed throughout the story. I've begun to care about it, and I apologize that it wasn't all that good prior to the updates, and I thank you for sticking with me through that. Without further ado, Chapter 4 - End of Author's Note

Frederick looked at the Shepherds, and those of their allies that weren't Shepherds, but had stuck with them to this point around him. They looked broken, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He sighed, knowing that it would most likely be the last time they would all be assembled at the barracks. He had led them straight there from Ylisstol upon seeing the reaction of the citizens. He knew that time was of the essence, from here on out, he had the feeling that it just about always would be. Despite that, he dragged his feet. What he was about to do would cut their numbers in half, and then some after that.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat. Any conversation in the room stopped immediately. All eyes were trained on him. Reluctantly, he went on.

"As... As you all know, we lost our captain, and king, Chrom in the last battle. The battle to save the world, perhaps. As well as 2 of the Shepherds finest, his wife Olivia and Vaike. Sadly, we cannot to take proper time to mourn them in Ylissean custom, as we simply do not have that time. But first, before I continue, I would like to say this. I am well aware that some of you are foreigners to Ylisse. Some of you even run your own countries. Those of you that wish to, are welcome to leave our ranks, and return home, to defend it against the attack that is almost certainly coming."

Say'ri almost ran from the room, without a word. Frederick knew why she left, and would bring it up in a moments time. But first, he had to wait. There were more people leaving, more that he actually cared about. Virion stood up reluctantly.

"Alas." He exclaimed to the whole room. "I fear I cannot waste a moments time. I failed Rosanne once before. I fear cannot do it again, even if it's defense costs me my life. I must leave."

"Aptly put, dear." Cherche stood at her husband's side. "We are sorry to abandon you in such a dreary time, Frederick, but it can't be any better at home, in Rosanne."

Frederick had expected the two of them to be among those who left. He bowed politely to them.

"You both have already done so much for us. It saddens me to see you go. But, little choice remains these days. Do give my regards to baby Gerome before you go. He's such an emotional child."

Cherche smiled at the mention of her son, while Virion had begun to say goodbye to the other Shepherds immediately after speaking to Frederick. He paid close attention to Sully in particular. Cherche noticed this, and dragged him bodily from the barracks.

Frederick smiled slightly as they left, feeling saddened. He was close with both of them, and their talents in battle would be greatly missed in any battles that would be fought in the near future. He glanced around the room yet again. Flavia was waiting for him.

"Well. We really fucked up, didn't we?"

"…I suppose we did. You're returning to Regna Ferox?"

Flavia tried to laugh. "I have to. I'm the reigning khan, and Basilio is dead. I never should have come with you to fight Validar and Grima in the first place. Especially as we failed, I have to imagine my absence is being felt heavily right now. Farewell Frederick." Flavia said nothing else, and walked from the room. Lon'qu shot her a glance as she left, but she shook her head no. Basilio had given him to the Shepherds, and in the Shepherds he would say. Flavia would be damned if anyone or anything would change that.

Frederick felt a light tap upon his shoulder, and turned to face the last of those leaving.

"Anna." He spoke.

"Lighten up! It's not like I'm leaving all together! I'll finance the army for as long as I can! You can't make any gains when you're dead! Ooh! That's a neat phrase! I should use that to sell weapons once this Grima thing blows over..." Anna walked from the barracks as well, leaving Frederick flabbergasted and confused.

He walked up to the front of the room, his mood and attitude little improved from the beginning of the meeting.

"I have one more item to discuss, and then if anyone else has an issue worthy of being brought before us all, they have the floor." Frederick took a deep breath. "We received a letter from The Voice. She claims that Rob-... Grima is marching upon The Great Mila Tree, and she has requested help from as many nations as she can get it from to defend it. A show of unity during these troubled times, and save the center of our common religion. The letter was waiting for us in the barracks, and was sent shortly after the incident at the Table. I've no idea how it got here that fast, but if anything, it proves it's urgency. This is a matter of grave importance. I need volunteers to both go and help Tiki defend the tree, and to stay here to manage things at Ylisstol with myself. Lissa has requested I stay behind for this battle..." Frederick looked ashamed, unaware that his could prove to be the more daunting task.

In the end, Lon'qu ended up leading the Mila Tree group, which consisted of himself, Cordelia, Henry, Panne, Maribelle, Nowi, Libra, with Gregor as the second in command. They all departed immediately to prepare for the journey, and battle that was right around the corner. Frederick was left with Sully, Stahl, Mirel, Sumia, Donnel, Ricken, Gaius, and Tharja.

"Alright." Frederick spoke to the 8 Shepherds who remained with him. "Is there any other business that any of you would like to bring up? The floor is yours, if so."

Frederick stood away from the area he was speaking. Almost instantly, Donnel took his place.

"Well, I, uh, hate to always be th' one who points this stuff out, your Frederickness, but... Did we leave both Falchion and the Fire Emblem with Chrom's corpse?"

Shit.

Kellam sprinted through the forest, pursued by an uncountable number of Risen. In his hands, he held both Falchion and the Fire Emblem. He had gone back to retrieve them shortly after the other Shepherds left to go back to Ylisstol, with none of them recalling them in the slightest. Unfortunately, Grima wasn't stupid, and had left them heavily guarded, though still in the same place. Kellam used his stealth to steal both of them, but found that as soon as he did, the Risen noticed him. He had been running ever since, the Risen gaining on him all the while. Finally, he was within sight of Ylisstol. Unfortunately for Kellam, he had made the mistake of wearing his armor, which was what let the Risen catch up to him. He felt a blow on his back, and he fell face first into the ground. The Emblem hit the ground with a thud, and the gemstones scattered. Falchion sank into the ground like it was butter. Kellam was the opposite of grace as he fell, and he knew right away something was broken. But he couldn't stop. He tried to get up, but instead bore witness to the crowd of Risen forming all around him. He knew then that it was hopeless. As soon as he had that obvious revelation, the apparent leader of the Risen, if one was judging only by strength, stepped forward. The blade of his axe was the size of his chest plate. And almost as dull. It took several chops to fully remove Kellam's head, his armor proving useless in the end.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note - I apologize that it took me this long to update today. This chapter lasted longer than expected. I still will try to update one more time today. As always, feel free to review if you notice inconsistencies, wish to see something in the future, or even just want to honestly review it! You're welcome to follow to keep up with my extremely random schedule of updates, if you would like. However, the fact that people are reading this is overwhelmingly great. It just makes me pretty happy, you know? Not quite sure how more people read the 4th chapter than the 3rd chapter, but hey. I'm not picky! - 1%

"Severa... I know, I only just returned. And I know, this must be a terrible blow dealt to you, believe me, I can barely get by as it is. But... I have to fight for what's important. I hope you can understand..." Cordelia took a deep breath, as she planned out what to say to her daughter. "Alright! No point in putting this off any longer!" She marched to her daughter's quarters in the castle, which had served as her own, and Vaike's in the rare occasion they were at Ylisstol. "Severa! Please, sweetie, open up the door! It's mother!"

The door burst open.

"Mother! I missed you!" A young Severa flew into the arms of her mother. "I mean... Um, Gawds, Mother, I thought you died on me or something! Where's dad?"

"Severa... Good to see you dear. Your father... Perhaps we should get out of this hallway, and talk about him in private?"

The smile on Severa's face disappeared almost instantaneously. "O-okay..." She led Cordelia into her room, and they sat down across from one another at a table. Cordelia had thought her daughter had been informed of Vaike's death by now, and found herself in a position she did not have any desire to be in.

"Severa... I suppose there's no point in holding anything back. Your father was killed in battle. As was Chrom. They were betrayed by Robin." Cordelia paused to let this sink in.

Severa said nothing at first. Then the tears began to flow freely. She still said nothing, waiting for her mother to either speak, or leave.

"I hate to do this to you, Severa. Especially right after you lose your father. But I must leave, again. I have to fight, for what's important. I pray you can forgive me."

"Of course I can." Severa's voice was thick with animosity and sarcasm. Cordelia was surprised that she was capable of such a tone, especially as she was a mere 8 years old. Her and Vaike had married late. "Why, I don't know anyone who would be incapable of forgiving you mother. Go fight for what's important now, why don't you? I'll just stay here, as I have been doing. Perhaps I'll twiddle my thumbs."

Cordelia didn't know how to respond, and after several moments, she stood, said goodbye to her daughter, and left the room. Shortly after she left, she heard the door slam shut behind her, and sounds of things breaking. She sighed. Her daughter had to learn to control her temper. As she was preparing to go back to the Shepherds' barracks to prepare, she what she thought was a rather thoughtful idea. Taking an envelope from the saddle bag of her pegasus (she had to be prepared for everything), she took the wedding ring off of her ring finger, and placed it in the envelope. Perhaps it would help Severa cope with the loss of Vaike, although it had done nothing of the sort to her. She handed it to one of the palace guards, instructing them to take it to Severa as soon as they could. Hearing crashing of increased sound come from Severa's quarters, the guard found themselves in an incredibly unlucky scenario. Cordelia couldn't care less about this, and flew back to the barracks, her conscience clear.

As Cordelia walked away from a difficult conversation, Lissa walked into one that could prove almost two times as draining. Before she could even consider putting it off, she went into the shared royal chambers belonging to the 12 year old Lucina, and the 8 year old Inigo. She found them both sitting at a table, engaged in casual conversation.

"Aunt Lissa!" Inigo leapt towards her as soon as she walked in. Lucina was trying to act more stoic, Lissa could tell, but she could tell that she was just as pleased to see her as her younger brother was. Lissa wondered how her own son would respond to seeing her.

"Well, I'm happy to see both of you children as well, but I'm afraid I have some fire news." She directed her attention towards Inigo. She loved her niece and nephew almost equally, but she knew that he was far more emotional than Lucina.

"Your mother and father are dead, tiny one." She spoke gently. Lissa watched as Inigo's face contorted.

"Who... What?" He asked. "No... No, It can't be true! I refuse to believe it." Lissa could tell by the look on his face that he already knew it was true. She was almost certain that there had been rumors since the moment the Shepherds returned to Ylisstol. Perhaps sooner. She did nothing to stop Inigo as he fled from the room.

'Everyone mourns differently.' She thought. The healer was proved right when she looked at her niece. Lucina was frozen in place. Her face looked far off, and distant. Her feet were planted in the ground. Lissa waited for a while, to see if Lucina would say anything. She didn't.

"Lucina. Oh, I am so sorry. This must be terrible. No, it is terrible. I've had to deal with it as well, and believe me, I'm still not over it. I doubt I ever will be."

"It is... quite alright, Aunt Lissa. I... knew that Mother and Father would die, sometime, from the moment I could speak... Thank you for your concern." Lucina walked across her shared room with Inigo, and went to the window, gazing listlessly at what had just become her kingdom. Despite her youth, Lissa thought she looked extremely old as she did so.

"Lucina!" She almost shouted. "You can't be serious! You have to let it out, hon.! If you keep these emotions, if you hide them, they will only build up. You have to let them out. To feel emotions is not a sign of weakness, Lucina. If anything, it is a sign of strength and compassion."

Lucina glanced at her. "Aunt Lissa. I simply cannot show my feelings. I apologize, but I find myself in an extremely difficult position at the moment. I would like to request privacy, if that is alright."

Lissa felt defeated. She knew then that she would never hold the legacy that both her siblings had held. If she couldn't convince a 12 year old girl to show her emotion, what good was she, as a princess.

"If that's what you'd like, dear..." The defeat was evident in her tone of voice. "Just please... Out of the love you held for your mother and father, grieve Lucina. It's so obvious that you are hiding it, repressing it, and I think that is a true sign of weakness. No one else will be in the room where it happens." Lissa opened the door.

"Wait."

She paused, halfway out of the room already. "Yes?" She answered, looking back at her niece. Lucina's eyes were trained fiercely on her aunt, her Brand extremely evident. Despite all recent events, Lissa felt a small pang of jealousy over her own Brand, which had never surfaced. She smiled internally at this.

"Aunt Lissa... You're right. I am simply not comfortable grieving in front of others. I pray you understand that." Lucina looked down as she spoke.

"Of course, Lucina. Is there anything at all I can do for you?"

"Aunt Lissa... I hate to ask this of you, but will you be my regent? Just until I come of age. The strength of my father and the compassion of Aunt Emmeryn are both embedded firmly within you."

"I have already made preparations Lucina. I had thought that I may have been the only eligible choice. Of course I will serve as your regent. Nothing would honor me more. Is there anything else I can do for you, dear?"

"Aunt Lissa... Could you stay? You're right. I do need to learn to open up to others. You're the closest thing I have to a parent now, I suppose. And I have to start somewhere."

Lissa closed the door, and went back up to her niece. "Of course. I'm happy that you even feel ready to open up at all. You are your father's daughter. And I know that he was proud. Up until the very end."

Donnel was scared. No, he was terrified. After bringing up the missing Fire Emblem and Falchion to Frederick, he had placed him in charge of a small group tasked with getting them back. Frederick had allowed him to take 2 of his fellow Shepherds with him on the task, and he had chosen Sumia and Gaius. It seemed obvious enough for him, with Sumia to fly around and locate the items, and Gaius to steal them, but he felt that Frederick had been disappointed with his choices. He always was, or so it seemed to Donnel. They had been in such a rush to leave, none of the three had any time to meet with their children before they left, which left its obvious mark on each of them.

They were still within sight of Ylisstol when Donnel knew that something was amiss. They were about to enter a forest they had passed through on the return journey, but something seemed extremely wrong to him. Sumia was currently flying in search of information, but Gaius was with him.

"Hold up." Donnel said.

"Something wrong, farmboy?" Gaius asked around the lollipop in his mouth.

"Something ain't right... Hold up just a moment, let's see if I can place it."

As Donnel finished talking, 3 things happened at the exact same time. The first, Donnel noticed Kellam's body, which was surprisingly good at blending in, even though he was dead, and now headless (the Fire Emblem, and Falchion were gone.) The second, an arrow flew from the woods, and hit either Sumia or her pegasus. Neither Gaius or Donnel were looking as the arrow hit it's mark, but both the beast and the rider plummeted towards Earth. And the third, an enormous army of Risen emerged from the woods. Donny didn't know it, but it was the same group that had killed Kellam, and it's numbers had only grown since then.

"Well, damn. I'll be a son of a bitch." Gaius drew his sword. Donnel hadn't ever seen anyone so grim. "Farmboy, run. Someone needs to warn Lissa. Ylisstol can't be hit unaware. This would kill them. Literally."

"I ain't seein' why I 'ave to be the one to live!" Donny tried to sound brave, but he failed. He had grown to be one of the Shepherds best fighters, rivaling Frederick and Chrom. But they were so badly outnumbered in such an open place, they didn't have a chance. Donny didn't want to die.

Gaius chuckled. "Farmboy, if you don't go, everyone dies. Game over. Grima wins. I can't have that. So go! I'll hold them as long as I can!" To keep Donny from idling around any longer, Gaius charged towards the army. Donny watched in horror, but turned away before Gaius met the Risen. He ran back Ylisstol as fast as he could.

Gaius' efforts were noble, but in vain. Seeking to hold all the Risen, they merely parted around him, chasing Donny, who did have a considerable head start on them, as well as not being held back by armor. Gaius was confident he would make it. He decided to start swinging at the Risen as they went by, and this did take out a few of them. But only a few. The leader emerged, seemingly out of no where, and brandished his axe. Gaius wasn't sure, but to him almost looked like it was smiling. Screaming, he charged the Risen, who blocked his blow with ease. However, when the Risen tried to counter, Gaius was prepared, and with a well timed party and deflection, was able to disarm his opponent. Grinning, he thrust his sword through the chest of th undead , creature. He held it there, waiting for the monster to vaporize. By the time he realized it wasn't going to, it was too late. The Risen grabbed Gaius by the throat with a single hand, and lifted him off the ground with ease. Gaius clawed and hit at the arm that was squeezing life from him, but it was of no use. After a while, the blows became less and less fierce, until they altogether ceased. Gaius' arms hung limply at his sides. He was dead, his life squeezed out prematurely by an enemy that seemed unbeatable.


	6. Chapter 6

Lon'qu proved to be an efficient choice to lead the crack team on it's way to the Great Mila Tree. He made those under his command move quickly and efficiently, and they made great time. Eventually, they even ran into Say'ri, and were shocked to learn that the Anna who had left the Shepherds had joined her on her own quest to the Mila Tree. Lon'qu had a hard time speaking to both of them, but he was able to swallow his discomfort, and convinced them that there was safety in numbers. The two of them rejoined the Shepherds, albeit temporarily.

"We will have to be waiting for a moment." Lon'qu's lieutenant informed him. "Gregor has many of the questions for the one known as 'Anna'."

"Very well Gregor. Your intuition hasn't proved wrong yet, and I grant that it doesn't make since why she would just leave, only to immediately rejoin. Just make it quick. And question her away from me."

"Aye." Gregor was pleased. He went off to find Anna. It didn't take him long. Anna always revealed lavishly, and the exquisite coach she had chosen for this journey was easy to find. The fact that she was in a coach confused Gregor greatly, as they were traveling across the country. What confused him even more was that she made as good of a time as any others did. Regardless, he went up to the door of the lavish coach, and knocked.

Anna opened the door. "Gregor!" She exclaimed. "Just the man I've wanted to see! You're a mercenary, right? Imagine this. I hire you... To be my own personal bodyguard!"

"Well, Gregor isn't sure... He would like to speak to you of some matters that he thinks require some urgency."

"Of course! But, you see, I just realized... I don't care!" A grin spread over her face as she said this. "Time is money, as they say! Why should I give any freely to you? Hmm?"

Gregor was flabbergasted. "Anna. Please. I am making of the begging. What would you like Gregor to do?"

"Now, that is an interesting question! And I know just the answer! For every question you ask me, I get to ask one of you!" Anna winked.

Gregor gulped, but reluctantly agreed. He didn't like where this was going.

Maribelle was miserable. Marching day in and out, with no breaks at all... It was unfitting of a lady in her position! She tried to request to Lon'qu that they break, but he refused to listen to her, and ran at the first sign of her. Which was problematic, as they were married. He even refused to share her tent at night, much less her bed. It was a miracle Brady had even come into existence, and they had been married for years now. She missed Lissa. She had no one to vent her frustrations to, and besides. She was sure Lissa needed her direly. She hated not being there for her friend in her time of need. What bothered her the most though, was the lack of tea. She had, somehow, forgotten to bring a stash, and what provisions they had (which were lacking, she might add) ran out on the third day of their march. She was shaking, and could barely ride her horse, much less walk.

Still. It was an honor for her to be included in this group. With Lissa busy, she was the only healer Frederick trusted to keep people alive. That had to be it. Why else would he send her across the world? Suddenly, she was knocked into the mud churned up by the Shepherds by a bright green dragon.

"Ugh! My dress is ruined! Nowi! You get back here!" Maribelle stood up immediately, and shouted after the manakete, who had seemingly failed to notice the noble knocked in the mud. Maribelle found out why when the giant rabbit jumped over her horse, landing directly on her back, sending her sprawling into the mud once again. Panne, too intent on chasing Nowi for some godsforsaken reason, also ignored Maribelle. Huffing and puffing, she marched to get changed.

Donnel made it into Ylisstol, shouting like a madman. "Risen! Risen comin' through the town! Run! Save yourself!" The townspeople ignored him at first, too busy being ignorant. When the Risen appeared though, they made a point to disappear. Finding them gave the castle enough time to prepare. Fortunately for the citizens of Ylisstol, the Risen were extremely bad at locating a hiding enemy. With a few exceptions, the population as a whole remained unharmed.

Donnel made it to the castle, and ran straight into Miriel.

"Miriel! I ain't got time to explain, but we gotta warn Lissa and Frederick! Risen in the town!"

Miriel said nothing, but sprinted towards the throne room. She reached it well before Donnel, and ran straight to Lissa.

"Donnel has given us some time. I doubt it shall be enough, but it will have to suffice. Pray, where are the other Shepherds? Stahl and Sully in particular could be of ample use to me at the moment."

"Hello to you too, Miriel. Thank you for waiting for an audience with me, I know that must have been hard." Lissa sighed. "Stahl and Sully are training, per the norm. The others... Meh. I'm sure they'll turn up."

Miriel rushed to the gym, just as Donnel came in.

"Your ladyness!" He burst "Risen are invading the city! Gaius and Sumia are dead! We have to prepare! Quick! Hurry!"

Before Lissa could even answer Donny, Frederick burst through the door, Ricken and Tharja tailing him. He gave Lissa a glance, and both knew instantly what must be done.

"Ricken, Tharja, bar the door with magic. Donnel, Lissa, help me block it with physical items. Our troops are depleted, we will not be able to take this attack." He paused, very slightly. "This is where we shall make our stand. He brandished a sword, and as the others prepared themselves, he knew now that the only thing they could do now, was wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note - All fates are written. Some are literally. I'm positive if one were to play enough Awakening, one would be able to place the death of at least one Shepherd far before it happens. I'm also positive that one could correct me on many errors made within the story, game wise. As always, Follow/Favorite to be instantly updated when I update (Whenever the website does register this.) Review if you would like to. Also. Regardless of the day of the week, I will only be updating once per day now, with this story. People are skipping reading chapters, chapter 5 in particular. If you want to do that, go for it, but that chapter in particular is both important plot wise and my favorite chapter as an author, so I hope some people reconsider. No pressure though, fam. - 1%

It was taking much too long. Lissa was terrified. For herself, for her husband, for her friends, all of them. It seemed almost as if this could be the end. Hell, if Chrom could die, what could possibly be protecting the rest of the world? What really got to her though, was the waiting. It was evident on the faces of all present in the room, too. Ricken was trying to fight back tears, she could tell. He wasn't doing a good job of it. Donnel had taken off his pot, and was running his hand through his extremely unkempt hair. Tharja... Well, she was acting normal, for her. It occurred to Lissa that she might not actually care. After all, they were fighting forces that belonged to Robin now. Frederick seemed unchanged as well, to the untrained eye. But Lissa knew him better than anyone else alive. His stance, his posture, his breathing, it was plain to her. Her husband was terrified.

They all stood there, Donnel and Frederick directly in front of the door, with Ricken and Tharja behind the two of them, for what seemed like an eternity. Perhaps it was. Lissa herself was furthest from the door. She was confident that this didn't save her life, but at the very least, it prevented her from being injured. Without warning, the door burst open. No, that was an understatement. The door exploded. Literally. Shards of wood flew all over the room, taking the 5 Shepherds by surprise. Luckily, none of them were injured by this. Lissa would later reflect that if they had been, it may well have been the end for all 5 of them right there.

The Risen flooded into the room almost immediately. They came in great numbers, and the Shepherds were forced to pull back. Frederick, Donnel, Tharja, and Ricken all fought the hardest they ever had. Frederick especially hadn't thought of himself capable of such butchery. And still, it was not enough. The room was filled by the undead, and Lissa was forced to abandon her staff, and draw her axe.

Ricken had always been in over his head. From the moment he had joined the Shepherds' on queue party members, he had been in too deep. The difference between previous times and now, however, was that there was always someone to cover for him. There was no such person now. His friends were to busy defending themselves to pay the young mage any mind at all. All four of them would later think that if they had, they might have been able to save his life. However, deep down, they all knew that if they had so much as tried too, they would have been overwhelmed as well. The Risen flooded over Ricken. The others wouldn't even know he had fallen until after the battle, so heavy were the enemy forces.

Eventually, the Risen began depleting. That is to say, the defenders of the throne room were able to see through the carnage once again.

"Do not falter!" Frederick called over the din of battle. "These enemies do not appear to want to kill us. If they wanted that, we would be dead. Nay, as we are being engaged one on one, it appears to me that they merely wish to stall us. That being said, they will still-oof" Here, he was slashed across the chest. As he was wearing his armor, it proved to only wind him, and annoy him. He loped off the head of the offender, and continued with his cry. "They will still try to harm you, Shepherds. Be wary."

Lissa had to laugh. If there was one person who could manage to tell people to be careful in battle - something any seasoned warrior already knew - it was her husband, she thought fondly as she fought for her life against a particularly swift Risen. Eventually, her axe caught it in the chest, and it disappeared within a cloud of purple smoke.

Lissa faced what would appear to be her next opponent, waiting to deflect their inevitable blow. However, that blow never came. As quickly as they came, theRisen flooded from the throne room, revealing the Shepherds to one another, once again. Lissa looked at her husband, quizzically. If the Risen weren't trying to kill them, which they obviously weren't, then what would they attack a castle for? It didn't add up, and the four remaining Shepherds were confused. Suddenly, it hit Lissa.

"The children!" She cried "They came for the children!"

Tharja, Donnel, Frederick, and Lissa all bolted from the room, praying to Naga that it wasn't too late.

Before the attack had begun, Miriel had bolted to the gym, and, much like Lissa said she would, found Stahl and Sully training within it.

"I lack the time to properly explain my reasons. I suppose I must simplify this as much as possible. The Risen are here. I suspect they are after the children, mayhaps Lucina in particular. Come. We must defend them."

Stahl and Sully dropped everything, and each grabbed a sword as fast as they could. When they were ready, Miriel led them from the room."H-hey Miriel... What can we do? How can the 3 of us defend 12 different kids? That just... It doesn't seem possible." Stahl panted at her side

"You buffoon. Do you know nothing of the layout of the castle? No, I suppose not. You always were average in every possible way. The children have their own wing of the castle, and to get to it, one must traverse a lone staircase up. This particular stair case cannot be more than 2 people wide. We shall hold them there. If they push through, we shall fall back to Lucina and Inigo's room. When we are in position, I shall go to inform the young. Is that clear?"

"Hell yes!" Sully sounded particularly excited. "I'm itchin' for a rematch against these Risen! No one defeats the Shepherds twice!"

Miriel forced herself not to inform her of the deaths of Gaius and Sumia. It would almost certainly cause a blow that would, at nothing else, distract the two knights from performing their best. She would need them at their best now more than ever, and she was still worried it would fail to be enough. Mathematically, the odds were strongly against them. Miriel, for the first time in a very long time, found herself silently praying to the gods.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note - As some of you may know, following this story, my main story will be a crossover between Fire Emblem and Total Drama Island (tentatively titled Nintendotal Drama Island.) While this story is no where near complete, that is one that would require time and planning to write. Now, I'm sure you're asking "What does that have to do with me?" And, dear reader, here is the interactive part. For an undetermined period of time, I have a poll with the first 60 Fire Emblem characters that came to my head, as well as an option for author's choice (that would be one slot, not the entire roster.) Everyone who voted gets 20 votes, and the 20 most popular choices will feature in the story. I would like to start planning for it as soon as possible, so vote! The poll is on my profile. As always, feel free to favorite/follow/comment on this story, but no pressure. Have a pleasant day. - 1%

The large Risen with the huge, dull axe did as much damage to the castle as he could. His goal was to make it unlivable. He did exactly that, somehow managing to destroy, among other things, thick brick walls that had quite possibly stood for centuries prior to the battle. They collapsed with relative ease, and that brought him great joy, or as much joy as an emotionless corpse living for the sole purpose of killing could feel. He ran into a few guards as well. The first he saw was looking rather depressed, like he had been yelled at, or insulted by someone. The Risen didn't care. The axe fell, just the same. The guard readied his shield, but the Risen smashed through it in a single blow, connecting with the unfortunate man's ribs, shattering them. He fell to the group in pain. The Risen finished him with ease, and his axe ran red with blood. He made quick work of some other minimally trained guards, and sections of the castle, before moving on to the main event. The exalted whelp and her little friends. He called the rest of the Risen to him. He sent most to the throne room, to distract whomever was in there. He took with him a crack team of some of the worst Risen imaginable, their strength akin to that of the Deadlords. When he heard the explosion from the door, he knew it was time.

With Stahl and Sully in position, Miriel sprinted up the stairs, intent on warning the children. She ran quickly and quietly, reaching the top in almost no time at all. She went to the room of her son first. She knocked three times, urgently. He opened the door.

"Hello, Mother." The 10 year old said.

"Laurent. I request your assistance with something."

"Another science experiment?"

"Alas, I fear not. The castle is under attack. This area, I suspect will be prone to attack by walking cadavers in a moment or two. Lucina seems a prime target. I require you to assist me in gathering all of the children, and bringing them to any room but hers. Whichever is the most spacious, I fear I know little of that matter. Is all clear, Son?"

Laurent stood for a moment, and looked incredibly weak for about as long. He regained his composure. "Of course, Mother."

"Then let us away. Stahl and Sully are currently guarding the staircase, and I fear they will not hold long without my assistance."

Miriel and Laurent went to warn the children, and ended up bringing them to Nah's room, as it was the largest.

Stahl heard the rumbling of the Risen's feet. He knew they must be right around the corner. Before they arrived, however, Sully pushed him up against the wall, and kissed him.

"Just in case." His wife explained.

Not that Stahl would have required one. Sully stepped back, her sword eagerly in her hands. The Risen appeared quickly, flooding from almost every direction.

"I love you." Stahl spoke as he swung his sword at the first Risen in range. He and Sully had a system, and it would prove to be most effective. However, it would not be enough. After being pushed back a quarter of the way up the narrow staircase, Stahl was felled by a blow from a sword. He looked at Sully once, desperately, before falling to the ground. He was trampled under the feet of the undead.

Miriel took a last cursory glance around Nah's room. Everything seemed to be in order. She had given Laurent one of her simpler tomes to defend them, and Lucina possessed a blade of iron, presumably given to her by Chrom. She knew it wouldn't be enough, should the time come, but at the very least they would take some of the bastards with them. She nodded, and spoke one last time before leaving.

"No one leave this room. Let one of us come and get you. Should you no longer hear fighting, presume the worst. If at all possible, hide. Lucina. I place the life of my child, as well as the lives of the children of others into you your hands. I know they shall prove capable."

Miriel heard the fighting grow closer and closer. She left the room then, and heard it lock behind her. She ran to the staircase she had left the knights fighting at. In it, she saw a wounded Sully fighting off the Risen alone, almost reaching the top. When she saw the precarious situation the defenses were in, she almost regretted warning the children. Seemingly out of no where, she produced a time of thoron, and joined Sully in the frey.

Sully's heart died momentarily with her husband. However, she couldn't let it distract her. It came back a moment later, filled with the passion of a thousand angry Sullys.

"Die, you motherfucking bastards! I hope you rot in Hell with the rest of the shit you belong with!"

For a moment, she managed to push the Risen back. Then, there was the blow. A particularly sharp axe was swung at her left side, while a sword went for her head. She tried to parry both, and was able to stop the sword. However, the axe went deep into her side, piercing her armor, and causing her much pain. She cried out, ad tried to turn the pain into rage. However, she found that moving her left arm was in scarcely working operation, and her hand fell from her sword, falling limply at her side. She was forced, then, to wield her sword one handed. That may not have been a problem were she mounted, but she was on foot, and placed her at a disadvantage, perhaps even fully ruining the advantage she had from fighting Risen coming up hill. They pushed her to the top of the staircase, where she found Miriel.

"Move." Miriel was next to Sully, who was now off of the staircase, fought her best to hold the Risen.

"Are you fucking crazy?"

Miriel pushed her out of the way, and Sully fell to the ground.

"Thoron!" Miriel casted down the staircase, devastating all of the Risen that had been climbing up it.

Sully looked at her from the ground, eyes wide from amazement. Miriel turned to face Sully, light gleaming wickedly off of her glasses.

"It was simple mathematics. Frankly, I am surprised the Risen hadn't'-" Miriel was interrupted, rudely, by a blunt throwing axe, which caught her in the head. Ordinarily, this axe would have been so dull, if thrown by one of average strength, it would at it's worse, knock one unconscious. Unfortunately, it was thrown by the Risen who seemed to be rather fond of blunt axes, and her intelligent head shattered in a burst of blood and gore. Her body fell lifelessly to the ground, as Sully watched in horror.

Sully was shocked. She stood as fast as she could, and tried to face the huge Risen that had come up the stairs. She had no idea how he's gotten to the top so quickly, but here he was. She shouted as she tried to swing at it with her sword. The attempt came across as halfhearted, although it was not, and the Risen blocked it easily. In fact, it did more than block it. Looking straight into Sully's eyes, the Risen grabbed the arm holding the sword, and squeezed. It shattered as if it were glass. Sully's eyes bulged in pain as she felt the bone fragment into hundreds of pieces. She blacked out, unable to handle the pain she was in.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note - Just want to give a shoutout to the one person who voted. Top 1 of the Top Dank Percent, you must really be something. Haha, no, it's cool fam. I can write it with the characters I picked out, but audience interaction would be a great way to start the story, and with a competition like Total Drama Island, it could almost surely be incorporated into the story. As far as this story goes, I enjoy each chapter more than the previous. But at the same time, there's limits to what I can write here. Sadly, because of that, the story feels all too predictable to me. Like, you all know what happens already. The only shock factor I have going for me is how I kill off some characters, and even that is limited. So! I resolve to make this story as interesting as possible, for as long as it lasts. However, I don't picture this being as long as I once did, so don't be surprised if it ends around Chapter 20 or 30ish. Actually, thinking about it, 25 Chapters and an Endgame would be almost perfect. That's what I'm aiming for, now. Boy, this has been a long author's note. I'm sorry for that. Without any further ago, here is Chapter 9! I sincerely hope it is entertaining! -1%

Sully fought as hard as she could. She punched, kicked, screamed, and even but the Risen as it picked her up by her hair. It, like before, seemed to be smiling.

"You... Fool... No... Physical... Harm... Can... Come... To... Meeeeee..."

"Well, you obviously haven't had my particular brand of physical pain, then, you motherfucking asshole!" Sully through all of her weight into the Risen. He didn't even budge. She realized, with fear, that she might truly be done for. She had always thought she was invincible, at least subconsciously. Sure, others could die. Hell, she had seen her husband downed not fifteen minutes earlier. But not her. Never her. Fuck, she still wasn't ready. The Risen made a move to grab her throat, and Sully closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable demise that awaited her, and praying to Naga it wouldn't hurt.

Hearing his mother's voice, Laurent emerged from Nah's room. He instructed Lucina not to follow him,which he knew she wouldn't. She was too preoccupied with the other children, particularly her younger brother. Besides, she could only fight on the front lines. Laurent had a tome. He figured that his location should be quite dependable should the shit hit the fan. And besides. His mother would protect him. He calmly walked down the hallway to the staircase, and arrived just in time to see his mother's head explode from the blunt force of a ranged, physical attack. Laurent froze. He looked down at the time she had given him, what seemed moments prior.

'Fire.' He thought. 'How aptly named. It astutely summarizes the feeling of rage I currently embody.' He heard the Risen speak about it's immunity to physical wounds. Under different circumstances, he might have laughed. He had only thought such clichés occurred in terrible literature. But, he was much to angered to find it entertaining in the least. He opened the tome just as the Risen was reaching for Sully, and softly uttered the mystical word within it.

"Fire."

The hand around her throat burned. At first, Sully thought the pain was from having her fucking throat crushed, but when she opened her eyes, she saw that the hand was actually on fire. And still, it squeezed. 'Fucking perfect...' She thought as she closed her eyes again, drifting into a deep black sleep. However, she wasn't dead. Not yet, at least.

Laurent watched emotionlessly as the Risen combusted. When it turned to ash, he calmly went up to the pile, and spat upon it. It was only them that he noticed Sully.

'How deplorable.' He thought, accessing her wounds. He was no healer, and frankly, didn't give a damn. He heard footsteps come rushing up the stairs, along with unintelligible chatter, and, without thinking, cast fireball towards the source of the sound. It hit the first as soon as it emerged from the rather long staircase, but it didn't collapse.

Donnel led the charge up the stairs as soon as they reached them. Were it any other time, Frederick would not have allowed him to do this, but both his wife and son were up there, and Frederick knew that he would have done the same, were he Donnel.

"Miriel!" Donnel hollered at the bottom of the staircase. "Laurent! Y'all just hand on up there! Imma comin' fer ya!"

Donny sprinted up the stairs, with Frederick close on his heals. Lissa was rather far behind him, and Tharja even further. Were there an army of Risen up there, Frederick thought that they were royally screwed. Up the ass. But... There was nothing. It puzzled Frederick, but up the staircase, they saw no sign of the Risen at all. Except, of course, for Stahl's mangled and broken corpse, which instilled new fear into Frederick, but on the large, he chose to ignore that. They neared the top.

Frederick was looking right at Donnel when it happened. He could scarcely believe it, but the boy's head caught fire, seemingly instantaneously.

Donnel reached the top of the stairs, hoping against hope he would see his wife or son, and not an army of Risen when he looked. However, looking was one of the many things he would no longer be able to do. Laurent's fireball caught him straight in the face, and he was blinded immediately. He screamed, as loud as he could. The heat was so intense, but the pain was even worse. He felt his pot melting upon his skull, and realized how much trouble he really was in. Clawing at his face, he ran around blindly, until he tripped in something wet, and fell flame first into the ground. He clawed at his face still, and much to his horror, the skin came off. Only, it wasn't skin. Ash was all that remained of his face, and Donnel found that the pain wasn't there any more. He tried to call out to his wife, to no avail, as he found he could no longer move. In fact, he could no longer do anything. Donny though his last thoughts as his soul left his body, accidentally murdered by his own son.

Virion's arms were placed rather comfortably around his wife's waist. She could do nothing about it, as she was currently flying a wyvern, but found it a highly inappropriate time for him to make his advances, which he was doing. It was more that their son was behind Virion than anything else.

"Dear." She whispered. "There's a time and place for everything. But not now."

"Ah, but my sweet Cherche, you misinterpret my intentions! I am merely holding on to you, for the sake of my life! I would not care to die, and place such dreadful ruin upon that face of yours."

"2 problems with your theory. 1. Gerome is doing fine without holding onto you."

"Ah, my love, he has a way with wyverns. He gets it from you, you know! Imagine it. Our son, striking fear into the hearts of hundreds, nay thousands of enemies, his very name striking fear into their hearts. Rather noble, isn't it."

"...I-I Suppose. But, um, Virion? Your hands aren't even around my waste anymore. If you would be so kind as to remove yourself from my pants, it would be much appreciated."

"Wha-?" Virion realized what he was doing, and removed his hands from his wife's pants. "I am sorry, dear. It was instinct I swear! I did not mean to!"

"It's fine Virion. It isn't like you haven't done worse."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, Minerva wasn't to fond of it. You must apologize to her when we land, but be weary. She's hungry."

Virion gulped, and said nothing for the rest of the trip to Rosanne.

Gerome sat behind his father, tears running down his face. He didn't need this shit.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note - Well! We did it. A second vote! Thank you to whoever it was, I can only say, your awesome, and it's looking, at least right now, that you will have a profound impact on that story. So, again, thank you. As you may have noticed, I kind of stopped updating daily. That's due to 2 things. School. And theatre. Both are starting to pick up, but I will update as often as I can. As always, enjoy the story. - 1%

Lon'qu was nervous. He was leading a rag tag, volunteer group. Who knew how that would look on Ylisse's record. The world was in peril, and all the Ylissean's could spare was half of the Shepherds. Not even half, Lon'qu realized. And not all of those with him were those he would have wanted with him. Nonetheless, he would do his duty. And hopefully save the world, or at least the tree, in the process. They had traveled a long ways, over an even longer period of time. They were deep into Regna Ferox now, and that showed on the morale of the group. The entry into Regna Ferox had been odd. Lon'qu had found the wall deserted, with not a single guard in sight. What would compel Flavia to do such a thing? Especially at a time such as this. Had the Shepherds been brigands, the nearest village would have been pillaged by now, and most likely completely sacked. He supposed Flavia had recalled all the troops to the capital. Still, it was a selfish thing to do, and Basilio, Naga rest his soul, would have never allowed it. Lon'qu looked somber as he led on.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Nowi whined.

"No. Stop whining. It hurts my ears." Panne complained.

"This is stupid. Why can't I just fly there?"

"Have you a desire to die?"

"Ugh. I'm so bored, and my feet hurt, and I think I'm going to die."

"I'm sure, if you keep whining in this manner, I can make that a very real possibility."

"I'm bored, my feet are killing me, and a rabbit wants to kill me... Now I'm scared!"

"I warned you!" Panne transformed into her taguel form, and pounced towards Nowi.

"Eeeeek!" Nowi turned into a dragon, and flew away from Panne. She gained a bit of ground, but was still within catching distance. Which is what she wanted. It was no fun if there was no fear of being caught. And Panne angered SO easily. It was Nowi's primary form of entertainment the entire march.

Maribelle saw Nowi coming. However, she couldn't get off her horse in time. She landed face first in the snow, again. She waited for Panne to pass. When she didn't, Maribelle sat up, only to have Panne pounce on her, pushing her into the snow again. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought the manakete and the taguel were doing it on purpose.

* * *

"Anna? Hello? Gregor is here!"

"Gregor! My favorite customer! Please, come in!"

Gregor went into Anna's carriage, which was somehow still working, even in the snow.

"Anna! Gregor has another question!"

"You know the price. Ask away."

"Ah, how does the carriage work in this most terrible of weather? Gregor is not comprehending."

"Oh, but books can shoot magic energy? Grow up Gregor. It's magic."

"Gregor think that is a lame answer."

"Yeah, well, it's the right answer. Let me see... My question for you is... Huh. I don't have one."

Gregor sighed in relief, quite obviously.

"I'll let you know as soon as a do, Gregor. No need to look so glum. Until then!"

Anna pushed him bodily from the carriage.

* * *

Grima flew towards the Mila Tree, his back crowded with Risen, with even more beneath them. He was on a path to victory, he knew. After this, he would attack the rest of Valm, followed by Ferox, saving Ylisse for last. So long as word didn't reach anywhere, and none of his smaller attacks meant to be distractions prove to be too powerful, it should be a cinch. He wasn't even worried about Robin anymore. The tactician was weaker now than he ever had been before, and hadn't made a thought since Grima had pushed him there. Still. He was a problem. After all, he did make him feel... Emotions. Grima wasn't a fan of that. He resolved to kill a few of the Shepherds while in Robin's form. He could get by the way things were now, but if he managed to break Robin completely, well, he wouldn't complain. He grinned. The Mila Tree was upon them.

* * *

Robin was not broken. He was far from it, in fact. Biding his time and his strength, he was fairly sure that he could regain control, if only for a moment. But a moment was all he just needed to end things. Once, and for all. If he could only end his life... Grima would be dead with him. After all, weren't they one and the same now? So, Robin waited. He waited for what would seem like an eternity. But when he saw his chance, he would strike with the fury of millions of Robins. And Grima would fall. At last.


End file.
